graeme
The silence of the churches
Posted on: 11/24/2013 12:47
Here in New Brunswick, everything EVERYTHING is controlled by the Irving family. They openly control the government, own all the newspapers (which are the most lying, trivial, and misleading papers I have ever seen). They are far the outstanding force in the province.
They also have the values of the most up do date breed of the super rich. Virtue is doing nothing for others, only for oneself. Greed is good because greed is man's natural state, and greed makes for progress. This is all straight Ayn Rand stuff.
The Irvings interfere directely in just about everything - in medicare (which they loathe), in the operation of othe civil service and, through a think-tank they finance, with the education system. (And the universities, like all universities in Canada, have long ago sold out to people like the irvings.)
Recently, the premier announced a new programme for the schools. From K to grade twelve, the students will be trained in the values of entrepreneurship. (There is no mention of Mr. Irving sponsoring this - but I cannot imagine the premier even zipping up his fly without asking Mr. Irving's permission.)
The programme is organized and directed not by educators but by "volunteers" (businessmen). And it will immerse students in the 'values" of entrepreneurship. (We will pass lightly over the fact that the market for entrepreneurs has been in decline for well over a century as a small number of them have almost monopolized what there is. And, anyway,the biggies aren't really entrepreneurs since their risk-taking is close to zero and they live largelyon the public purse..)
Necessardily this programme will take time away from other programmes; it's an inteference with the function of training children to think; and it's an interference in the schools to - to what?---to propagandize children. To teach them that greed is good. So is indifference to the needs of others.
I know that when it comes to real, daily life, our churches are reluctant to go beyond a reference to how Jesus wants us for sunbeams. But here is a direct challenge to every religion I have ever heard that is to be a constant feature in every school year to graduation.
So far, our churches don't like to discuss torture because it's done by our side. Ditto drone kllings, assassination squads, indiscriminate slaughter around the world.
But it might be kind of important to discuss what is, in effect, a new religion, a religion of greed and self-love, as part of the school curriculum required for all children and at our expense.
Will Christians and other religious groups respond?
Not bloody likely. But they should.
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chansen
Posted on: 11/26/2013 11:09
I think teaching entrepreneurship is a good thing. Math is great, but you need to understand how money flows and works, and how to market your ideas and yourself. Schools have been terrible at preparing kids to start their own businesses.
I'm not a fan of the Irving family, but here, I think you're barking up the wrong tree. New Brusnwick needs entrepreneurs. The Irvings, if they were evil incarnate, wouldn't want students setting up new businesses in the province. What if one of them starts the Next Big Thing, and threatens their dominance? It could happen.
As for churches, the UCCan, I've been told, is not set up with a top-down governance model which would allow them to respond swiftly to injustices. It's kind of like a headless chicken. Other churches are far too concerned about what people are doing with their penises and vaginas to be worried about drones, and yet ironically call other people "perverted".
InannaWhimsey
Posted on: 11/26/2013 12:38
They also have the values of the most up do date breed of the super rich. Virtue is doing nothing for others, only for oneself. Greed is good because greed is man's natural state, and greed makes for progress. This is all straight Ayn Rand stuff.
The Irvings interfere directely in just about everything - in medicare (which they loathe), in the operation of othe civil service and, through a think-tank they finance, with the education system. (And the universities, like all universities in Canada, have long ago sold out to people like the irvings.)
Recently, the premier announced a new programme for the schools. From K to grade twelve, the students will be trained in the values of entrepreneurship. (There is no mention of Mr. Irving sponsoring this - but I cannot imagine the premier even zipping up his fly without asking Mr. Irving's permission.)
The programme is organized and directed not by educators but by "volunteers" (businessmen). And it will immerse students in the 'values" of entrepreneurship. (We will pass lightly over the fact that the market for entrepreneurs has been in decline for well over a century as a small number of them have almost monopolized what there is. And, anyway,the biggies aren't really entrepreneurs since their risk-taking is close to zero and they live largelyon the public purse..)
Necessardily this programme will take time away from other programmes; it's an inteference with the function of training children to think; and it's an interference in the schools to - to what?---to propagandize children. To teach them that greed is good. So is indifference to the needs of others.
I know that when it comes to real, daily life, our churches are reluctant to go beyond a reference to how Jesus wants us for sunbeams. But here is a direct challenge to every religion I have ever heard that is to be a constant feature in every school year to graduation.
So far, our churches don't like to discuss torture because it's done by our side. Ditto drone kllings, assassination squads, indiscriminate slaughter around the world.
But it might be kind of important to discuss what is, in effect, a new religion, a religion of greed and self-love, as part of the school curriculum required for all children and at our expense.
Will Christians and other religious groups respond?
Not bloody likely. But they should.
Thus a beautiful illustration of the problems that arise from belief in a supernatural g_d; the no discussion of torture etc etc etc
graeme
Posted on: 11/30/2013 19:53
ah, chansen, this is not an impartial study of enterpreneurship.
1. the organizers will be coming from outside the schools. They are not teachers.
You think that's okay? Well, then how about letting Jehovah Witnesses operate a compulsory programme on religion?
Or communists on political structures? Or pedophiles on sexuality?
This is a special interest group of outsiders. Any society that would sell out its own children like that is contemptible.
2. Entrepreneurship does not mean what you seem to think it does. It refers to people WHO RISK THEIR OWN CAPITAL in their work.
That doesn't happen down here unless you're running a small business. Irving routinely demands government money to help him out - though he has more money than the government does. Currently, one of the Irvings collects some $85,000 a year from city rate payers so he will keep his hockey team in Moncton - as if he has somewhere else to go. At the same time, he is pushing the city to build him a new hockey rink that will mean borrowing over $125 million. And it's a safe bet that the building contracts will provide him with more money.
This, thanks to "entrepreneurship" is one, sleazy province with colossal neglect of the poor, gifts for the rich, and interference of the rich in areas that are none of their business - like health care and education.
3. And there's a new development. After years of lies, manipulation and propaganda, the shale gas companies, Irving among them, are moving in. The chief medical officer who advised this was a mistake was ignored and belittlled. Then, as their advisor, they replaced her with a professor of the environment who had loudly praised shale gas development, and so had been put in charge of the Energy Institute which would oversee development.
However, CBC revealed him to be a fraud. Though he held the Irving chair in environmental studies, he had lied about his credentials. His MA and PHD (the latter done online) were not in environment but in education.
WE have also seen a type of police I have not before seen in Canada. These, with regular RCMP, broke up a recent anti-shale gas protest. The new type wore camouflage and carried combat rifles designed for high and prolonged rates of fire.
Why where camouflage? To give the signal these are not really police at all. They are a militarized section of the RCMP, with heavier firepower and with armoured cars. This is happening all over the US, too.
These are not designed to fight crime. These are designed to fight us. 1984 is well and truly here. And it's coming largely because of the need of big business to establish its control. (But that won't be in the entrepreneur course.)
graeme
Posted on: 11/30/2013 19:55
The only response I've seen from the churches is that Jesus wants us to be sunbeams.